The Hunt for Maul
by hamadrya
Summary: This story takes place after season 4, where Ventress and Obi Wan have fled in a ship. Their battered ship arrives at a neutral system with Obi Wan injured from his fight with Maul. Obi Wan and Ventress embark on a journey together to hunt for Maul and Opress. Ventress/Obi Wan (ish)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars

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Ventress slowly turned around from staring at the door that barely saved their lives, thinking of all the times she has cheated death. For some reason this time felt a little too close for her taste.

"They will be after us both now," Kenobi said to Ventress without looking at her while activating the hyper drive.

"I know," Ventress replied as she took the seat next to Kenobi.

Ventress looked over at the navigation computer to see where their destination was, but the screen was still flashing.

"It seems, my dear Kenobi, you finally have me at your mercy," Ventress mused "Well at least until we land. Would you care to enlighten me on where you plan on landing this poor excuse for a ship?"

Obi Wan smiled and looked over at Ventress, "Oh my sweet, if only. I think I programmed the navicomputer to take us to the outer rim to a black market space station, however with the ship being damaged, I am not sure where we will end up exactly. We can go our separate ways then." Kenobi replied.

"You're not going to try to bring me in? You're smarter than I thought." Ventress teased.

"That, my dear, would be impossible given my current current condition. Would next week work?" Kneobi asked.

"I am afraid that I have a prior engagement." Ventress said.

"That's unfortunate. " Obi Wan said, with a slight smile on his face.

She watched as Obi Wan leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. His face was starting to swell and bruise and the parts of his body that she could see through his tattered blood stained robes were starting to bruise as well. A lesser man would have passed out from pain by now having being beaten so savagely, she thought, and he had to have several broken bones if not internal injuries. Ventress got up to look for a medpack, it would do her no good if she had a dead Jedi on her hands no matter where they landed.

"I am afraid my dear, if your looking for an escape pod, this vessel has none." Obi Wan replied, not bothering to look up.

Ventress rolled her eyes, "I am looking for a first aid kit, your blood is making a mess on the floor."

Kenobi didn't reply, so she continued her search for the first aid kit and after a few moments found one under the com panel. Ventress walked back over to her seat to open it up, it didn't have a lot in it, but she found a; medical scanner, adhesive spray, bandages, pain medication, and some bacta spray. Ventress took the bandages and the bacta spray and started to work of the worst of the bleeding, which was from a large gash on the side of his abdomen. Obi Wan mostly didn't move or look at her while she worked, and only a few times did he jump from the pain. She started to remove the outer layers of his robe when his hand quickly reached up to hers and grabbed it.

"Are you trying to take advantage of me, darling, while I am in my weaken state?" Kenobi smirked.

"Don't flatter yourself Kenobi, I am checking to see if you have anymore open wounds, there is blood on your robes, and I don't know where its coming from. So if you want to bleed to death..." Ventress snapped.

Obi Wan let go of her hand so she continued to take off his tunic to see where the blood was coming from. There was a gash on shoulder and his chest, although it only looked superficial. Ventress proceeded to finish cleaning up most of the wounds on his upper body. Ventress then took out the pain medication and loaded it into the injector, and despite Obi Wan's protests, injected it into him. He really was in no condition to fight her off and there was no need for him to suffer. If she wanted to kill him, now would be the perfect time; here he is unarmed, defenseless, and almost pathetic. However, there was nothing respectful about killing an unarmed and injured man, and it wasn't the death that Kenobi deserved. She could tell that the pain killers started to work instantly, his body seemed to relax in the chair.

"Why did you do that? I was channeling the force to alleviate my pain." Obi Wan replied sleepily.

"Apparently not well enough," Ventress replied.

Ventress then got out the medical scanner and started to scan his body, hoping that there was no damage to his internal organs. He had 5 broken ribs, 3 on the left, 2 on the right, left collar bone broke, a fracture in his right foot, a dislocated shoulder, several torn tendons, and a concussion. On the positive side, his internal organs looked okay. She put up the scanner, and sat back down in her chair; it would take them about a day to reach the space station. She decided that she would at least take him to the medbay before stealing a ship and fleeing the planet. She really didn't know why she decided to take him to the medbay, here was a man that every cell in her body detested, yet she felt responsible for his well being at the moment. Ventress decided it was because she liked the game they played, trying to kill each other, the banter they shared and with Kneobi injured she wouldn't have another Jedi challenge her the way Kenobi does. Ventress leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, the battle had taken its toll on her body as well. She only had a few bruises where her body hit the floor, but she was exhausted from the effort. With her life not in any immediate danger with Kenobi drugged and half asleep, she decided to sleep as well, clutching her lightsabers just in case Kenobi decided to kill her in her sleep.

"Thank you," Kenobi whispered, half asleep.

Ventress nodded her head slightly and gave a half smile, but didn't open her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Ventress woke several hours later, famished, she looked over at Kenobi was still sleeping. She got up and put her lightsabers back on her belt, and went back to the cabinet where the medpak was to see if there was any emergency rations in the cabinet. After searching for a few moments, she found one ration bar. Ventress ripped the bar in half and started to eat and walked over towards Kenobi.

"Kenobi!"

Obi Wan shifted in his sleep but didn't wake up.

"Kenobi!" Ventress said getting close to his ear. Obi Wan grunted, but slept on.

Ventress getting annoyed that she saved half the ration bar for him when she was so hungry bent down and picked up his lightsaber off the ground. It must have fallen there when he was sleeping. She looked at it for a moment, and found the switch to turn it on and put her finger on it. She bent down right next to his head.

"KENOBI!" Ventress yelled, turning on his lightsaber next to his face. Kenobi woke with a start, jumping up on his feet while trying to grab a lightsaber that was not on his belt. Ventress saw the confusion in his eyes, while he was trying to figure out what was going on, and she smiled.

"Looking for something?" Ventress purred, and swung his lightsaber down towards the ground, about a foot away from Kenobi.

Kenobi looked at Ventress and held his hand out for his lightsaber. Ventress stared back into his eyes, and smirked, pushed him back in the chair and brought the lightsaber up to his throat. Kenobi didn't flinch, but she noticed that his eyes were excited just like when they dueled. Kenobi looked down at her waist and force grabbed one of her lightsabers, pushing the hilt against her stomach.

"My dear, we seem to be at an impass," Kenobi chuckled.

"In your dreams, Kenobi. If I wanted you dead, you would be. However there is no sport in killing you now with you being so pathetic, so I have decided to let you live." Ventress said, turning off Kenobi's lightsaber and handing it back to him. She felt the pressure lift from where he was poking her with her own lightsaber.

"Ah," Kenobi smiled, and handed Ventress back her lightsaber, "You may never get another catch me at a disadvantage. I feel that it evens us out a bit, it may give you a fighting chance for once."

Ventress rolled her eyes, "I just want to get off this ship, your Ego has made it crowded in here." Ventress threw Kenobi the other half of the ration bar, "Here, eat this."

"What happened to the other half?" Kenobi asked.

"Your Ego ate it." Ventress said, and after a moment added, "How are you feeling?"

"Amused." Kenobi said, while taking a bite out of the ration bar.

Ventress rolled her eyes again, "I was referring to this." Ventress then pushed on Kenobi's broken ribs. She got some satisfaction from the grimace that came across his features. Then she looked at Kenobi, with a small smile her face and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, wonderful, couldn't be better, I think I am ready to take out a whole battalion" Kenobi lied.

Ventress got out the med scanner and started to scan Kenobi again, to make sure that there was still no internal bleeding. Satisfied that Kenobi's condition was stable, she offered a hand to Kenobi.

"Here, let me sit there, you are in no condition to pilot a ship, especially if we end up in a battlefield." Ventress commanded.

"I am perfectly fine to pilot a ship, my dear, you worry to much." Kenobi replied.

"Shall I push on your ribs again?" Ventress mused, moving her hand very close to his broken ribs.

Kenobi sighed and started to push himself off the chair, but the pain from his dislocated shoulder made him fall back down. Ventress grabbed Kenobi's hand and helped pull him up. When he stood up, he put his hand on Ventress's shoulder, turned to face her and looked up at her. A moment of silence passed between them, Ventress noticed his eyes were excited again. Ventress subconsciously took her other hand and brushed a stray lock of hair out of Obi Wan's face.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Ventress blinked, and looked at Kenobi, who had just placed his other hand on her waist, confused. She looked down at his other hand resting on her shoulder, both her and Obi Wan jumped back instantly. Ventress sat down in the pilot's chair to see what was wrong, being annoyed with herself about the position that she had just found herself in. It must have been because they just almost died she thought.

"It seems that the ship's hyperdrive is over heating. Scan for nearby planets, I am going to take the ship out of lightspeed." Ventress commanded.

"It appears that we near a system name Callos." Kenobi said.

"Is it Republic or Separatist?" Ventress asked, wanting to know what type of fight she would be in for.


	2. Chapter 2

""Neither, it's neutral. There is a city called Korrnas. We should attempt to land outside of there and then we can barter a for better transport."

"And what do you propose we barter with? A ship with a overheating hyper drive? I think I'll find my own transportation off the planet." Ventress replied.

Kenobi shrugged his one good shoulder, "Suit yourself, but it might be easier to find a transport off this planet if we worked together."

"Hopefully, it won't come to that, I don't know how much more of you I can stand." Ventress said.

"Oh, and here I thought we were getting along so well." Kenobi smirked.

Ventress rolled her eyes, and started to look for a landing pad to put the ship down. Hopefully, she could land the ship, drop Kenobi off at the med clinic, and leave the planet in under a hour. She needed to find out more about this Maul person before she exacted her revenge on Opress, and why he was so powerful with the Darkside. He referred to Maul as his brother, which led her to believe that they were both from the same clan. Ventress also knew that Kenobi probably was the one that cut off his legs, but didn't know if he would be willing to tell her what he knew about Maul. They were after all still enemies, even if the force brought them together.

"Kenobi, can you walk?" Ventress asked while the ship touched down on the landing pad. Then she got up and offered her hand to Kenobi.

Kenobi grabbed her hand and pulled himself up. then he chucked "Yes, I will be fine as long as I don't have to fight a rancor at the moment."

"What a pity, I thought Jedi were supposed to be tougher, or maybe it's just you, my dear." Ventress mused, I'll help you find the med bay before I leave, since you apparently are too weak to do so on your own."

"That's considerate of you, seeing only a few hours ago you threaten to kill me with a lightsaber and now you're going to take me to the doctor? Talk about mixed messages, to kill or not to kill?" Kenobi bantered.

"Well, if you remember, I rescued you first." Ventress pointed out.

"That wasn't much of a rescue, I still had to help hold them off," Kenobi smiled.

"Well, next time I find you laying unconscious on the floor, I'll just leave you there. Then at least I won't have to deal with your insufferable personality."

Ventress walked over to the Dock manager to ask where the med clinic would be, and found out that it was the building directly behind their ship. Ventress put Kenobi's good arm around her shoulders and helped him limp over to the building.

"How can I help you?" said the woman behind the desk.

"Hello, my name is Harko Zadane. I fell off my ship when I was repairing the engines. I seem to have dislocated my shoulder." Kenobi replied.

The woman looked at Kenobi in his torn and bloody robes, his bruised face and opened her mouth to ask another question, but then thought better of it and motioned Kenobi and Ventress to follow.

Kenobi started to walk towards the woman, but looked back when Ventress wasn't by his side. He walked back towards her and gave her a funny face.

"I am afraid I must get back to my ship. It's been an absolute PLEASURE, Harko." Ventress replied.

Kenobi smiled, "Until next time, my sweet."

Ventress turned and walked out of the med clinic and focused on finding some form of transportation off the planet. She thought about stealing a ship, but didn't want to attract too much attention. She was unfamiliar with this planet and despite it being a neutral system, they normally leaned towards the Republic or Separatist side of the conflict, and she certainly wasn't a friend to either. She found a bar and headed inside, maybe they would have a holochess table, and someone with a ship would be dumb enough to play her. Luckily, after having a few drinks and eating lunch, she found both. Two hours after she had arrived on the planet, she had secured a ship, and had it inspected to see if there was a trace on it or in need of repairs. The ship was in fine condition. She was pleased that everything was working out, and she would be off this rock soon. However something was nagging her. She debated with herself whether or not to ask Kenobi about Maul. They were enemies after all, and why would he want to help her in anyway after all the things that she has done to him. She was also afraid that if she asked Kenobi for information, he would somehow use that against her in the future. She didn't want to owe anyone, especially him. But the information that he could provide may save her days of research.

Annoyed with herself, Ventress walked back over to the Med Clinic. She had decided to try to ask Kenobi for information about Maul, despite the disadvantages. However she was surprised to find out that he was no longer there, the woman said that he had left about 15 minutes ago, and he was heading for the bar that she was at earlier. Ventress walked back towards the bar and was able to locate him fairly easily, recognizing his force signature .Kenobi looked up when he sensed her, and waved his hand at the seat across from him. Ventress walked over and sat down in the booth, and noticed that he was almost back to normal except for the faint bruises. He had apparently also used the refresher and found a change of clothes. It made her realize how long she had actually been on the planet.

"I thought you would have left by now. Having problems finding a ride off this planet?" Kenobi smirked.

"On the contrary, I have my own ship. So, I see your feeling better." Ventress questioned.

Obi Wan just smiled, and continued to eat his plate of food.

"Listen, I need to ask you something. How do you know Maul, and what can you tell me about him?" Ventress asked.

"And here I thought we would discuss something more pleasant," Obi Wan sighed, "Darth Maul was a former Sith lord, trained by Darth Sidious. Maul killed many Jedi, however no witnesses ever survived when they encountered him, so the Jedi didn't find out about him until after he fought my master, Qui-Gon on Tatooine. My Master survived that encounter, however he wasn't as lucky the second time. After being beaten on Tatooine, Maul went to Naboo to orchestrate the invasion of people of Naboo. We arrived on the planet, and re-engaged Maul, and he killed my Master. I fought him, and I nearly gave in to the Dark Side, I wanted revenge for killing my Master. I wanted him to hurt the way I hurt at the moment, for him to suffer like my Master." Kenobi paused, and took a deep breath.

Ventress was surprised, she had felt a slight anger coming off of him, despite the fact he was trying to release it in to the force. She hadn't known that Kenobi lost his Master, let alone that Maul killed him. She wondered what a Dark Kenobi would be like; he would be more terrifying than Dooku and Sidious combined, and he would have the brain power to take down the Republic with out this stupid war. He would be Darth Sidious, and Sidious would be his puppet. She inwardly chilled at the thought. She had thought that Kenobi was everything a Jedi was supposed to be, it was one of the reasons why she hated him so much. She had just started to ponder why he was telling her this, knowing that it made him vulnerable, when he interrupted her thoughts.

"However, I was able to overcome this and re-centered my focus. I knew my Master wouldn't want me to give in to hate. I eventually won the battle, Maul was dead and I saved Naboo. I obtained the rank of Knight, and had a padawan of my own. It was all for not as you saw, he is alive, although I don't know how."

"So that's why you were there, you were hunting Maul?"

"Maul went Raydonia and killed a village, to catch my attention. The Jedi sent me to finish what I started, to bring closure to that part of my life, to kill Maul. Even though it's against the moral code, Jedi don't kill unless they have to, I didn't question it nor protest it. I also didn't expect him to as strong with the Dark Side as he was, I expected him to be in a much more weakened state. I knew that he was still powerful, but it doesn't take a lot of strength to slaughter a bunch of unarmed villagers. I lost control and gave in to my anger once again for a moment which led to the situation that you found me in. I won't make the same mistake next time." Kenobi said, his eyes once again giving away his moment of anger.

"Next time?" Ventress questioned, wondering why he was offering up so much personal information.

"I plan on returning to Coruscant and giving a report about Maul, and then I am going to ask the council if I can continue to track him. Maul is a danger, especially now when he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. He must be stopped before he gets to powerful." Kenobi's eyes continued show his anger.

Ventress didn't say anything for a moment, and felt him once again trying to release the anger he had bottled up for to long. Ventress was afraid for the moment when he couldn't control it. She didn't want to be around him when it happened, however this time, he was more successful, and she felt none of the anger he was projecting though the force earlier.

"Are you planning on taking him on yourself?" Ventress asked.

"The Jedi are spread out too thin, I can't see anyway that they can afford to allow for two people to look for Maul. When I find him, I will let them know his whereabouts before I engage him. But yes, I am planning on taking him on myself."

"You forget about his brother, Opress, what about him? You can't take both of them on at once." Ventress pointed out.

"I plan waiting until Maul sends his brother on a mission. I will kill Maul, then I will take out Opress when he returns."

"What about having Skywalker with you?"

"For someone who wants to kill me, you're awfully concerned about my welfare," Kenobi chuckled. "Anakin would probably drop everything that he is doing to help find Maul, but he also has a padawan to look out for. It is up to the council to decide if someone will accompany me, but without knowing where Maul is, I can't imagine they will send Anakin with me to find him. By the time he does arrive, since he will either come as soon as he knows I found him, or just decides to disobey orders, which is much more likely. I should already have engaged Maul, and hopefully defeated him."

Ventress watched Obi Wan for a moment, then looked down as she said "Opress is my responsibility, and as a result Maul is now mine as well. I had Opress created by Mother Talzin in order to seek revenge on Dooku. He betrayed me, tried to kill me. He then went off to find his brother, Maul. They are both Nightbrothers from Dathomir, most likely from the same clan. I know what they are capable of, Sidious must have had Mother create Maul, and now that Opress has found his brother, it is my fault that village got slaughtered. I have enough blood on my hands already, I don't need your death to add to it."

Ventress watched as Obi Wan's eyes became confused.

Also it would be a shame for anyone else to kill you but me." Ventress smiled.

Obi Wan laughed, before asking, "Your were hunting Opress?"

"Yes I was. However I wasn't expecting his brother or you to be with him. Now I plan on going after both of them."

"Maybe we should work together?" Obi Wan pondered.

Ventress thought for a moment, it would be easier to defeat them both, but then she would have to put up with the Jedi, and she didn't think any ship would be big enough for the two of them, "I'll think about it. I need to go back to Dathomir, I believe that Mother Talzin has something to do with this and I want to find out why."

"I thought she was dead?" Obi Wan asked.

"Well, my people are full of surprises." Ventress joked, and stood up to leave, but Kenobi grabbed her hand.

"If you find what your looking for, find me before you find them. I will be on Coruscant for the next few days, I think the only way to defeat them is to work together." Obi Wan pleaded with her, and let go of her hand.

"I'll let you know," Ventress said, and walked out to her ship. She programmed the hyperdrive to Dathomir, and left Korrnas and Kenobi behind.


	3. Chapter 3

Ventress watched as her ship came out of hyper space to the planet that she resided on for the first few months after Dooku betrayed her. Now she was suspicious that Mother Talzin had been helping Opress after he betrayed her. Why wouldn't Talzin tell her that Opress had been on the planet? She could have killed him before he started learning from a former Sith lord and she wouldn't be in this mess. Ventress knew that he was stronger with the force than before, and his light saber skills had slightly improved; however he still lacked discipline, and she could use that to her advantage when she found him.

Ventress landed her ship near the former nightsister's coven, and got out, trying to sense if there was any force users on the planet. She didn't sense any, but prepared herself anyway, especially if the nightbrothers were still around. She walked along the path, and tried not to look at the slaughtered sisters still on the ground. When she got to where Karis fell, she couldn't help but kneel by the pillar that crushed her. Her body was still on the other side of the pillar, where she pulled her out. She had tried to use the Force to heal Karis, or put her in a sith trance but she was too far gone to be saved. Ventress put her hand on the pillar, and swore to Karis that she would do everything in her power to avenge her death. A tear trickle down her cheek. Karis went with her to take Dooku down the first time, and she was an excellent warrior. If she allowed herself to have friends, Karis would have been one.

Ventress got up and entered the caves in which she called home for a short period of time. The dwellings looked like they had been ransacked, picked through, although why would the Nightbrothers want this stuff she didn't know. Ventress became overwhelmed, all the anger, guilt and feelings of failure started to build in her, tears started to form in her eyes as she started remembering the battle, feeling responsible for the Nightsisters demise. If she had done her job properly, Dooku wouldn't have sent Grievous to slaughter them all. She wanted to make him pay, for not only what he did to her, but what she had done to the closest thing that she had to a family, which wasn't much. If she didn't fail as Dooku apprentice, none of this would have happened in the first place. Hell, she thought, if she was able to protect her Master Ky, she wouldn't be in this mess. Her life was nothing but failure, betrayals, and loneliness. Every time she felt that she belonged somewhere it was taken from her.

After all the tears had left, Ventress noticed that she was keeling on the ground, surrounded by her own grief and anger. She was disgusted at herself for breaking down and crying like a child. She was once one of the most feared beings in the universe and here she was crying. She almost wished that she could release all her emotions in to the force, to be alleviated of them. But that would make her a Jedi, something that disgusted her more than crying on the ground. She sat down to meditate and to focus on what she came here to do. She didn't know where Mother Talzin was, and hoped that through her meditation, she would be able to locate her. Ventress closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

Ventress only meditated for a few minutes before a voice said "Welcome home, child.

Ventress opened her eyes and watched as a ghostly figure stood before her. Some of the sadness came back, knowing that it was her fault Mother was like this.

"Mother, I am here to ask you about Opress" Ventress replied.

"Have you succeeded in killing Dooku yet and getting revenge for the slaughter of your sisters?" Mother Talzin asked. Ventress flinched.

"No, but other situations have arisen and Opress must be dealt with first. I know you helped him find his brother, Darth Maul." Ventress accused.

"I did. As I said before, he is a perfect male specimen, a strong warrior. I took an interest in him, after he came back to Darthmor. He was strong enough to break free from your control, he needed to be tamed, molded into the perfect warrior. I told him that his brother still lives, and where to find them. After he located Maul, he brought him to me broken and delusional. I healed Maul, making him stronger in the process, and allowed them to leave the planet to find Kenobi. I wanted Opress to learn from Maul, for them to form a bond."

"Why?" Ventress asked

"Together, they will become unstoppable. They are about to start on a rampage against the Republic and Separatist alike. They will raid, pillage and kill, and allow time for Maul to get adjusted to his new body, and Opress time to learn from his brother. Then, they will be ready."

"Ready for what?" Ventress asked.

"To be used as tools. They owe their lives to me, and they will serve me. I will use them get revenge for eliminating the Nightsisters, to destroy the Sith and the Jedi, then destroy the Republic and the Separatists, and the reign of the Nightsisters will begin."

"You are a fool to think they will serve you." Ventress retorted.

"You forget what they owe me, if they betray me they will lose the gifts I have bestowed upon them. They will become trapped in their own minds, become a hollow version of themselves, hoping to die to end the madness. They will not refuse me." Mother Talzin said.

"Kenobi is hunting them, he believes that they are too dangerous to be kept alive, what if he succeeds in his task?"

"Kenobi will fall at the hands of Maul, I have foreseen it." Mother Talzin replied, "If one of them falls, there are many other Nighbrothers who will serve me, given the proper time and training."

"Where does that leave me?"

"I will train you in the ways of the Nightsisters as I promised, and we will become the most powerful force in the Galaxy. You will have power that even you have never dreamed of. You will be more powerful than the Jedi and the Sith combined. No one will ever abandon you again, you will be a queen. Together we can rebuild our our Clan."

"What do I have to do, if I choose to accept?"

"Help Maul and Opress with their plans. You will need find Kenobi, earn his trust and then offer him up as bait, then return home to me. Only through the destruction of Kenobi will Maul be able to focus on the bigger picture, to eliminate the Sith and the Jedi.

"What will happen if I refuse?"

"You will continue your meaningless existence, wasting your talent on collecting bounties. It's a position beneath you, Asajj."

"But it's a life of my own choosing, I don't know if I want to be a pawn in someone else's plan, I have done it too many times."

"I am offering you much more than just being a pawn. I am offering you a chance to save our people, and make the future brighter. Gone will be the corruption of the Republic and the Separatist, the galaxy will know peace, everyone will bend to our will. And we will do this together, as Mother and Daughter."

Ventress looked down for several moments, not speaking. She believed that Mother Talzin could control Opress, but Maul was another story. She wanted proof. However if Mother was able to control Maul, how could she turn down the offer to save her people. She owed it to her sisters, to avenge them all. And while Mother's allegiance was questionable, she could learn from her. Ventress knew with the knowledge that the Nightsisters possessed combined with her training as a Sith, she would become unstoppable, and she cold punish those who betray her, even Mother.

Then she remembered Mother's request, to offer Kenobi up. Her recent experience with Kenobi, fighting the two brothers and his honesty with her had made her question why she wanted to kill him. Part of her still did, but she found that she respected him as a warrior and as a person. Yes, she had lead many people to their demises, through different schemes to gain power and favor with Dooku, she wasn't innocent in the matter, but to offer Kenobi felt wrong.

"I will have to meditate on it Mother."

"Take your time, my child. I know you will come to the right conclusion." Mother Talzin said, putting her ghostly hand on Ventress's shoulder.

Ventress looked up, and watched as Mother disappeared in thin air, she sat there for several moments, trying to regain her focus to mediate, but was having problems clearing her mind. Ventress got up, seeing no other reason to stay on the planet made for her ship, again doing her best to ignore the body's of her sisters. She wished she could offer all of them a proper funeral, and build them a memorial, but she didn't know where to start. She just wished she could burn this part of the planet, and the scar that was left would be a memento to her sisters courage. She decided she would come back here, after she had found the brothers and set fire to the battlefield, so her sisters could be at one with the Force.

Ventress was lost in her thoughts when she reached her ship. That was when she saw two Nightbrothers inspecting the ship.

"My my, what do we have here?" Ventress smirked.

The brothers looked up at Ventress, with a confused look in their eyes, but didn't say anything. They were obviously surprised that a nightsister was standing before them. Ventress put her hands on her lightsabers, and drew them out, but didn't ignite them yet, she continued to walk towards the ship, and was delighted at the sight of one the brothers starting to back up with a look of fear.

The other brother, who was covered in blue tattoos didn't back up, but had a look of defiance on his face.

"Don't waste your time, Go back to your little village." Ventress commanded, while igniting her lightsabers with a nasty grin on her face

The brother started to back up, clearly the lightsabers had the desired effect. He looked around to his brother, and then back at Ventress, before he bravely said, "The nightsisters were destroyed, I watched it."

"Maybe I need to remind you where your place is." Ventress said.

The other brother, who Ventress could see had orange stripes, said quietly to his brother, "Kraz, let's go.

"Far too long did you and your fellow Nightsisters enslave us. You are the only one left now." Kraz replied, while pulling out a dagger out of his belt.

Ventress laughed coldly. "You are going to challenge me, with that? I have better things to do." Ventress made to get on her ship, but Kraz surged forward to block the ramp.

"Should have listened to your brother," Ventress said before bringing her lightsabers up and igniting them.

Kraz rushed at her, trying to stab her stomach, Ventress spun, causing Kraz to miss and stumble.

"It's a wonder your still even alive, with skills like that." Ventress cooed.

Kraz became more enraged and let out a guttural yell and rushed towards Ventress again. He raised his dagger once again, however Ventress swung her lightsabers up, hitting his outstretched arm above the elbow, slicing it off. The dagger fell towards the ground, along with the arm holding it. Ventress reached down and grabbed the dagger from the severed limb and walked over to where Kraz was laying on the ground cuddling his stump and whimpering. She took the dagger and touched the tip of it to his throat slightly cutting him. Kraz stopped whimpering and gave her a wide eye look.

Ventress smiled, and looked over towards the other brother, "You, take him back to your village. Tell them if they ever come back here, they will not be as lucky."

She stood up, and dropped the knife next to Kraz's face, and strode off to her ship. She watched in the screen as Kraz's brother came and picked up the knife and helped is brother get up and hobble off in the distance. She thought about going back outside and finishing the job, killing both of them. She placed a hand on her lightsaber, but decided they weren't worth the effort.

Ventress programmed the navicomputer to Coruscant, knowing that is where she would find Kenobi.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the delay, I had finals, and what not. Hopefully this is okay, it was written over a few very late nights. It's the longest so far.

* * *

Ventress jumped out of hyperspace before she reached Coruscant, she didn't want to risk piloting a ship into core of the Republic when she was public enemy #4. Normally she bartered transport on refugee ships or on shipments of crops off of Yulant, a planet with vast farm fields. Ventress landed her ship on a nearby landing pad and put on her hood and a face veil, knowing no one would ask questions.

Even though Yulant was part of the Republic, the people on the planet had a growing frustration with Coruscant. The planet demanded more and more resources to feed its army, and the farmers were having a hard time keeping up to their constantly growing list of demands. Food shortages were common, as most of the food grown was given to the Republic Forces. The Clones who were in charge of the shipyard were complacent, even with the planet's nearby proximity to Coruscant. The clones here used their time here as a leave of absence; they believed no one would attack a agricultural planet. Occasionally she would run into a competent clone, who then required a mind wipe, but she had used this planet to access Coruscant for a while.

Ventress stepped out of her ship and walked over to a nearby freighter. They were loading various kinds of produce on the ship and she was able to secure a ride for 400 credits. She got on board and sat down near the back of the ship, near a maintenance hatch. If the Clones searched the ship she would use the hatch to hide. Ventress sat down to meditate, concentrating on hiding her force signature.

After a few uneventful hours later, Ventress finally arrived in Coruscant. She was on the upper levels of the planet near the Jedi Temple. Ventress smiled, as she made her way to a diner that she knew Kenobi frequented called Dex's Diner. She knew sooner or later he would show up. She knew he was still on the planet, since she felt his force signature when she first arrived on the city planet, and believed that he would probably sense her as well. She entered the diner and sat at the furthest booth from the door. A droid came over, and she ordered some juri juice and waited.

After a few juri juices later, Ventress felt Kenobi's presence again; faintly at first, but growing stronger. She looked out the window, and saw a familiar brown cloak coming towards the diner. Ventress took another sip, as he entered the diner and joined her at the booth.

"You know, my sweet, those are bad for your health," Kenobi purred.

"Your sarcasm is bad for yours," Ventress replied, while taking another sip. "You want one?"

Kenobi chuckled, and surprised Ventress by ordering one when the droid came back. As far as she knew Jedi didn't drink, especially the prim and proper Kenobi. The droid came back with the drink, and Kenobi placed an order of sliders.

"To our health," Kenobi said as raised his glass. Ventress looked at him and rolled her eyes, but raised her glass then took a sip.

"To finding Opress and his brother," Ventress replied.

Kenobi sighed, "Our intelligence reports that there has been a series of ships that have been pillaged and their crew killed near the planet Yellowblades Landing. The council has decided that Maul and Opress need to be found and taken care of before they can recruit others to their cause. They have given me clearance to start searching for them."

"I thought the Jedi didn't believe in killing," Ventress stated.

"It goes against the Code, but the war has made us into Warriors, not Peacekeepers. After the war however, we will have to deal with the consequences of our actions," Kenobi said, taking another sip.

"Why do you want my help?" Ventress inquired.

"I so enjoy your company, Dear," Kenobi smiled.

"I still have my lightsabers," Ventress warned.

"Oh, Darling, I know. But having them is one thing, knowing how to use them is another." Kneobi mused.

"It's a wonder you got this far, my dear Obi Wan," Ventress smirked.

Kenobi smiled, and paused for a moment before continuing, "You're the only person in the galaxy who want to find them as much as I do."

"When do we leave? I have my ship on a nearby planet and taking a republic ship would attract too much attention. Not to mention, I am number four on the Republic's most wanted list." Ventress pointed out.

"It's not as simple as that, darling, I have permission to search, but not engage them. I am to report their location to the council, and they will send assistance."

"I have one guess as to whom they will be sending," Ventress added, rolling her eyes again.

"Yes, well I have to go back to the temple, I will be ready to leave tomorrow morning."

Kenobi finished the rest of his drink, and grabbed three of the sliders. He stuffed one in his mouth as he got up.

"So dignified," Ventress replied as she got up. She didn't wait for his reply as she walked out of the restaurant, and headed to the apartment she kept in the lower levels. It was surprisingly easy to stay hidden on Coruscant, especially on the lower levels. It was almost comical on how defenseless the planet really is once you actually here. After a short walk, she reached her tiny apartment.

* * *

The next morning, Ventress returned to the diner and saw that Kenobi was already there, sitting in the booth they sat in yesterday. Ventress sat across from him and saw he was eating some other disgustingly greasy food.

"How can you eat that? It's a wonder your still alive," Ventress made another face as Kenobi smiled and took another bite.

"And Good Morning to you, my Sweet!" Kenobi said after swallowing his food. "I have secured us transportation; Anakin has agreed to let me use the Twilight."

"Isn't that the ship that looks like it's going to fall apart if you lean against it?" Ventress asked

"That would be the one."

"Well, really what more could I expect from a Jedi. We will take Skywalker's ship to Yulant; where we can pick up my ship. Where is Skywalker's ship now?"

"At the spaceport near the Temple, I took it there earlier. I assumed it would be slightly less difficult for us to board there instead of sneaking you into the Temple." Kenobi stated.

"Hardly."

"Shall we?" Kenobi asked.

Ventress got up and walked out of the Diner; she stood outside the door waiting for Kenobi to pay. As he walked out, she noticed that he was not wearing his typical Jedi Robes instead he was wearing a simple white shirt, a brown coat, and black pants. You wouldn't be able to tell he was a Jedi, except for his lightsaber peaking out of his coat as he walked.

Kenobi smiled at her as he walked out and offered her his arm. Ventress rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest.

Kenobi leaned over and whispered in her ear, "We're going undercover Ventress, and you're going to have to learn to work with me. Whatever animosity you have towards me, you're going to have to put aside if we are going survive. When we arrive at the spaceport it will be much easier to get through security if we acted like we're a couple going on a holiday."

"Or we could just say we're bounty hunters. Won't they know you there anyway, the infamous Obi Wan Kenobi." Ventress whispered back.

"I don't normally leave the planet from the spaceport. There may be clones there that I have worked with in the past, but chances are they won't. I don't normally work with security clones."

Kenobi straightened back up; he fished a black sock hat out of his pocket and put it on his head. He offered his arm to her again; Ventress shook her head again, however linked her arm with his and gave an annoyed sigh. It was only a short walk to the spaceport, for which Ventress was glad, forced physical contact with Kenobi was uncomfortable. However, she needed him at the moment to lead her to Maul and Oppress. What she would do when she found them was another matter: help Kenobi, destroying the brothers and get revenge on Oppress; or help the brothers with their plans, destroying Kenobi in the process, saving her people. Ventress looked over at Kenobi, who was leading them to the gate and then at the distant ship. She had tried to meditate on the matter on her journey to Coruscant, but found her mind and her body needed to rest.

"Name?" Said a clone bringing Ventress out of her thoughts.

"Harko Zadean, this is my wife, Leesea, we are celebrating our third anniversary," Kenobi said, handing over some identification to the clone.

The clone looked at the identification, and then back up to Kenobi. The clone waved over to another clone sitting in the booth. Ventress tightened her grip on Kenobi's arm and started to finger one her lightsabers hidden underneath her cloak. Kenobi gently patted her arm in warning, and Ventress put her hand down. The clone turned back to Kenobi.

"I'm sorry Sir, we need to take some additional information. Please could you step inside the hangar bay."

"What is the problem?" Kenobi asked.

"It seems to be an error in the system, we have no record of a Leesea Zaden. Please follow me."

"Certainly," Kenobi said to the Clone.

Kenobi and Ventress followed the Clone to the hangar bay, he seated them in a small office. The clone looked at the identification papers then started typing on the computer. Ventress leaned over to Kenobi.

"Can't we just mind wipe him?" Ventress wispered.

"Preferably not, my Dear. The paperwork should be there. I put it there myself when I uploaded my paperwork."

After a few moments, the clone stopped typing on the computer, and looked at the pair, "Excuse me Ma'am, I need to ask you a few questions."

Ventress gave a panicked look over at Kenobi; he had not told her the information that he had used to falsify her identity.

"When were you born?" The Clone said.

Ventress sighed, and waved her hand, "You don't need my identification, you will allow us to go to our ship."

"I don't need your identification, you can go to your ship now," the Clone replied.

Ventress got up and looked over at Kenobi and smiled, who was still sitting in the chair. After a moment, he shot her annoyed look, he got up, and thanked the Clone. He offered his arm again to Ventress, she took it only to have him yank her slightly as he led her out of the room. Ventress looked over at him, with anger in her eyes, but he didn't look back at her as they walked to the Twilight.

As soon as they boarded, she yanked her arm out of his and started to walk past him to the pilot's chair. Suddenly, she spun around and pushed Kenobi to the wall behind him, placing her forearm on his neck while grabbing a dagger she had hidden in her cloak with her other hand. Kenobi met her eyes and she could see the anger in his eyes that he tried to hide most of time.

"If you ever pull that little stunt again, Jedi, it will be your head." Ventress said as she brought the dagger up to his throat.

"I asked you not to mind wipe him. I had everything under control, they were only going to ask for your birth date and birth planet. I put down your actual birthday, and Dathomir as your birth planet. You were taken as a slave to Rattatak, however a family bought you, and instead of making you a slave, they treated you like their own child. It's not far off from the truth," Kenobi paused and looked down, " It's what should have happened."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thank you for all your kind words, it has helped inspire me to continue even though I work as much as I do. I welcome any thoughts or suggestions, I may re-edit chapter 4, but it will be minor stuff, as I found errors. Maybe I shouldn't write at 3 am while watching Doctor Who at the same time. I also apologize for the long wait, but I am currently ahead a chapter or 2 :)

* * *

Ventress was speechless for a moment, she was unaware that the Jedi knew of her past. The nightsisters obviously knew, since it was her own mother who sold her into slavery. As far as she knew the only other person was Dooku, who was teaching her how to reach peoples darkest memories and making them relive them in ones mind as a form of torture by performing the action on her after she failed to kill Skywalker and his pet.

However after a few moments, the initial shock wore off and hatred filled her. She watched Kenobi wince as she pierced his skin with the dagger. A trickle of blood went down his neck as he force pushed her against the wall of the confined space ship and held her there. Ventress threw the dagger at Kenobi, he dodged it and the dagger barely grazed his shoulder, it would have hit him in the chest if he hadn't moved. The dagger clanged on the wall of the ship as it fell to the ground.

"Who the hell are you to assume that you know anything about me, or my past?" Ventress said, with as much hatred as she could convey with her voice with her body pushed up against the wall. She tried to counteract the move as she talked, with no luck.

"Ventress, I was recently went undercover as a bounty hunter; I asked around about you. I said I had met you before in battle, and you were an admirable warrior, and I wanted to know what planet you came from so I could recruit more warriors like you. The other bounty hunters knew very little about you, but one person said that they had met others with similar looks while visiting a planet called Dathomir. He and three others had gone there to collect a bounty on a supposed Witch who killed a family member of an important Separatist Senator. The bounty hunter said he was the only one that survived the encounter with the witches," Kenobi answered, releasing Ventress from the wall.

"Afterwards, it was fairly straightforward, combined with the information I already knew; you were a slave on Rattatak, then you were trained by Ky Narec in the ways of the Jedi. He was killed before he could complete your training. You gave in to your rage, and killed your Master's murderer, and 11 others. You're not evil, Ventress, you have been a victim of your circumstances, not fully trained in the ways of the Jedi to deal with your Masters death at so young, and on top of everything else you have been misled. You have been dealt a hand in life that no one should ever have to live. It is the Jedi's fault for not finding you, and for that I am sorry."

"It is the Jedi's fault, you left Narec to rot on Rattatak, and you are responsible for his death. And I have sought revenge against the Jedi for deserting him." Ventress spat.

"You're right," Kenobi said calmly.

"You stole his lightsaber when you escaped from my Citadel. Where is it? The Jedi are unworthy to have it, you are unworthy to have it. I want it back, now," Ventress yelled.

"It is back at the Temple at his memorial," Kenobi said calmly.

Ventress made to get off the ship, but Kenobi grabbed her hand as she passed him. Ventress turned around and punched him in the jaw and he let go. She had just gotten down the ramp before Kenobi appeared at the door way.

"What are you going to do? Break in to the temple and get it back? That's foolish Ventress! I can help you get his lightsaber back," Kenobi yelled.

"Why should I trust you?" Ventress asked, continuing walking towards the gate of the spaceport. She felt Kenobi grabbed her arm again, much softer this time. She stopped but didn't face him, she wanted to hear his answer before she left before informing Mother of Kenobi's intent.

"Help me, Ventress, and I will return his lightsaber to you, personally. Help me, and I can get you immunity for your past crimes. Help me find them. Maul killed my Master, just as Osika Kirske killed yours. I can't take him down by myself, and I can't trust anyone else to do it. Not Anakin, not the Jedi, they wouldn't understand. Anakin, would do it in a heartbeat but he needs to set an example for his padawan when he already struggles everyday to contain his emotions. And to be honest I would be lying if I said the only reason I wanted to find them was for the benefit of the Republic." Kenobi eluded.

Ventress slowly turned around. She was surprised by his answer, Jedi don't normally seek revenge especially this particular Jedi who she assumed always did things by the book. However what intrigued her the most was his offer to not only return his lightsabers, but immunity as well. With immunity, she could finally live in peace, not always running, or hiding in the shadows. She could continue bounty hunting something that she slightly enjoyed more than being Dooku's pawn, more because there was less torture involved if you failed; instead you either were killed or didn't get paid. She was able to live comfortably by being a bounty hunter, never really in want of anything. However, it would mean giving up the once chance to save her people, to train as a Nightsister, to end this stupid war, and become leader, if Mother didn't betray her first.

"Why do you trust me? I have tried to kill you, tortured you, destroy you. How do you know I won't kill you in your sleep?"

"I trust you," Kenobi paused, "because I have no choice. And I have faith that you will eventually do the right thing."

Ventress looked at Kenobi eyes that were full of sorrow. For some reason beyond her better reasoning she trusted that he do everything in his power to return Narec's lightsaber and give her immunity. She however, didn't trust the Jedi, or the Republic, who would rather see her dead or rotting in prison than living somewhere, peacefully. She trusted the Jedi just about as much as she trusted Mother.

She didn't say anything, nor look at Kenobi as she walked back towards the Twilight. She heard Kenobi's footsteps following her.

"Thank you." Kenobi said.

Ventress nodded her head once, and climbed aboard. She checked to see if the coordinates were still in the navicomputer. She thought that it started to look suspicious that the ship that was scheduled to leave 30 minutes ago was still on the landing platform. She was especially starting to get worried since Kenobi called her by name outside the ship; the port was big, but not that big. As soon as Kenobi sat down in the chair she started the thrusters and took off. As the ship descended, she saw two clone troopers near the pad watching the ship take off.

"We have two clones watching us." Ventress informed Kenobi.

"Don't worry about it, just get us out of this system as soon as you can. Our little delay may have attracted unwanted attention. Once we switch ships, we should be fine." Kenobi said.

Ventress programmed the navicomputer to Yulant and lifted off the landing platform. Once they left the system, and jumped, Kenobi said he was going to the back of the ship to meditate. Ventress thought it was to get as far away from her as possible. Ventress was glad to have the space, Kenobi had given her a lot to think about A chance to be free, to live her life peacefully, with no war. But could she turn her back on her own people? She had a chance to rule the galaxy, make it how she saw fit. It wouldn't be a peaceful life, but with the power she would gain by combining her sith training with the nightsister training, it shouldn't be a problem. Not only would she be a queen, but save her species from extinction.

She looked back at Kenobi, who was sitting against the back wall with his eyes closed. There was a high likelihood that he would die at the hands of Maul anyway. She wondered that if he accidentally died at the hands of Maul, would Mother still be pleased and honor her word? He was still dead at the hands of Maul even if the didn't have a direct influence on the matter. She wasn't so sure it would work, but she didn't have to elaborate the demise of Kenobi to Mother and her direct or indirect influence. Yet as soon as she thought of Kenobi's battered bruised body dead at the feet of Maul, twinge of sadness rose in her which confused her even more. She assumed it was because she respected him as a warrior, but felt that wasn't the only reason. She closed her eyes trying to clear her mind hoping that the answer would come and to hopefully relieve the headache that was forming.

* * *

Ventress woke to Kenobi gently shaking her shoulder, "Ventress... Ventress, we reached Yulant."

"My ship is on landing pad 42." Ventress said sleepily, standing up and stretching. She was slightly annoyed at herself that she had fallen asleep in front of the Jedi, leaving her self vulnerable to attack. Normally she would only sleep when she was alone since the company she kept would just as soon slit her throat if they wished, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Only about an hour, I would have awakened you sooner, but I was slightly afraid that you would threaten me with some sort of weapon that you have hidden somewhere in that outfit," Kenobi joked, pointing to his bandaged throat.

Clearly the space from each other had changed his mood for the better, and she found that with the nap she took she was less angry that Kenobi now knew about her past. Why he put the effort in finding it out intrigued her, however she decided to leave it until another day. Instead Ventress played along, grateful for the lighter atmosphere from earlier. Otherwise they would never leave the Core. She wouldn't have to hide when they made it to the Outer Rim and the sooner they would reach Maul and Opress.

Ventress chuckled, "I do have a surprising amount."

"It boggles the mind, my sweet, especially with that outfit." Kenobi said flashing her a slightly suggestive smile, while waving his hand up and down.

"Well, continue to make me angry and you'll see just how many I have." Ventress said mischievously raising her eyebrows returning the smile.

"Looking forward to it." Kenobi flirted back as he walked past brushing his shoulder against hers and bending over to grab their bags.

"Shall we?" Kenobi said, offering his arm to Ventress, "I mean we are pretending to be a happily married couple."

Ventress rolled her eyes, but linked her arm with his. "Your enjoying this too much, Kenobi."

"You have no idea, my sweet." Kenobi laughed, patting her hand. Vetnress rolled her eyes again which made Kenobi's smile wider

They started to walk across the landing pad towards her ship, the further they walked with no one checking their papers the more the smile that was on Kenobi's face started to fade.

"Why are the clones just sitting there at the base? Has something happened?" Kenobi quietly asked, watching the clones.

After a few moments of watching the Clones and other people pass by them, Ventress answered "Are you Jedi really that ignorant? The Clones here are complacent, they see this as a vacation from the war. The people here are angry with Coruscant and the Republic like many other planets. Many smugglers, bounty hunters, even separatists use this planet among others to gain access to Coruscant. Coruscant is becoming more and more vulnerable, and soon the war will be in your backyard."

"I have known that there is a growing frustration with the Republic, something which I have shared at times. Anytime there is a war, there are always people who get pushed to the wayside, forgotten. The Jedi are spread too thin being something that they are not, the army is spread too thin to protect these people properly, and Coruscant believes it is too well protected by the loyal surrounding core systems, but to come here, to see these clones, and the look on these peoples faces"

"You have frustrations with the Republic?" Ventress asked. She looked over at the seemingly loyal Jedi, and met his eyes, surprised by his complete honesty with her when earlier today he was still hiding under his Jedi facade.

"Maybe frustration isn't the correct word. I have questioned some of the actions that the Republic has taken, many in which are in violation of the very constitution that we seek to protect. Chancellor Palpatine has at times overstepped his boundaries and duties as Supreme Chancellor. He has been in power for too long. Yes, I fight for the Republic, but I do so in the name of protecting the innocents and preserving democracy, not in the name of the Chancellor." Kenobi said, not breaking eye contact.

"You almost sound like a Separatist." Ventress stated flashing an amused smile, one which Kenobi didn't return.

"The majority of Separatists are misled, their government is led by a Sith, who only want power for themselves. If they won, the galaxy would become an Empire, with no individual rights, no democracy. The needs of the few would outweigh the needs of the many."

"Maybe, but the way they see it, the Republic is becoming the same." Ventress replied. Kenobi broke his eye contact and became quiet. She could tell that he was pondering her answer, that he could see the truth in her answer.

He didn't say anything until they reached the ship and Ventress watched as he stopped outside her ship and looked back at the Clones and the civilians doing their jobs on the landing bay.

Finally he sighed, "This war has gone on far too long."

"For once Kenobi, we agree on something." Ventress added and steered him towards the ramp up to the ship. He complied and let her lead the way.


	6. Chapter 6

Ventress woke up, and walked over to the computer. They still had about an hour before they dropped out of hyperspace. Kenobi had informed her that he got some cold weather gear for her from the Jedi Temple, since Yellowblade's Landing was an arctic planet. She put on the boots and the pants and discovered they fit surprisingly well, the pants was a little big around the waist, but it was long enough to cover her legs.

While she was checking computer, she heard Kenobi stir. "We are about 30 clicks away from the planet. You may want to get up."

She heard the refresher door close, and went back to the controls, they would be dropping out of hyperspace any moment. She was landing the ship when Kenobi came out and joined her, already in his coat.

"Where are we?" Kenobi asked.

'We are right outside Scourge's Base, the scanner is reading some lifeforms. This is the biggest settlement on the planet, so I thought we should start there."

"Do you sense Opress or Maul?" Kenobi asked.

"I sense something, but I can't make out if it's them or not." Ventress sighed, "If it is, his brother must have taught him to hide his force signature. What about you?"

"I sense a darkness, but that is it." Kenobi said and started stroking his beard. He looked at the scanner, there was about 30 or so lifeforms on the screen with the majority of them on the outskirts of the settlement.

"I guess we should start there," Kenobi said, and started to exit the ship. Ventress put on her coat, and followed him out. The coat made it more difficult to move, along with the deep snow, the journey to the settlement was slow going. Ventress kept reaching out in the force to sense if the brother's were here, but to her frustration was not able to detect him. She felt some force users, but didn't recognize their signatures. Most of the time, especially on the outer rim, the force users she felt were either unaware or undisciplined with their force powers. It made them more dangerous, since they didn't understand their own power. She was beginning to get more tense as they came up upon the settlement, and watched as the few people on the street gave them weary looks.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Kenobi said, and I believe we are being followed.

Ventress nodded, she had sensed that someone was keeping a close eye on them as they made their way through the settlement. Ventress had taken one of her lightsabers and hidden it in the palm of her hand, feeling that an attack would happen soon. There was the anticipation of a battle in the air. She looked over to Kenobi, who looked considerable more tense, which only heightened hers.

They entered the building, and saw a Toydarian sitting at the desk, he looked like he was expecting them.

"Good day, what brings you to our little rock in the middle of nowhere?"

"We are here to seek information about two travelers who have stopped by recently. We are willing to pay handsomely for not only the information we request, but your discretion as well." Kenobi replied, showing him some credits.

"Republic credits do us little good out here. What else do you have?"

"We have gold as well." Kenobi said, getting a few gold sticks out of his pocket.

"Ah, gold, the universal currency. What sort of information do you seek?"

Kenobi got out a holoprojector and turned it on, the faces of Maul and Opress appeared. "We are looking for these men."

"Who are they to you?" the Toydarian asked.

"That is none of your business," Ventress said angrily, while slamming her fists on the desk. It earned her an annoyed look from Kenobi, but he didn't say anything.

"Okay, okay, no need for violence. I saw someone who looks like these men a few days ago. They came in for supplies and to recruit some people to their cause. But I can't seem to remember where they said they were going."

"Does this jog your memory?" Kenobi said, offering another gold stick.

"Hmm, its coming back to me know. They were on their way to Praxis Nexus, looking for some bounty hunters. They left a holochip here, maybe it will be useful to you, it's in the back. Come with me and I will retrieve it."

Ventress looked over at Kenobi in warning, and he nodded his head slightly but walked off in the direction that the Toydarian had walked off. She took her other lightsaber and hid it in her other hand as she watched as Kenobi's hand flinch towards his lightsaber but didn't grab it off his belt. She took a deep breath, trying to clear the anxiousness that she felt.

They entered a large chamber, with a few people walking about. Every single one of them looked at the trio entering and hurried off in a different direction, trying to get as far away from them as possible. This alone gave Ventress enough reason to turn on her lightsabers, but resisted. The Toydarian led them to a small door on the side, and opened the door. Ventress looked at Kenobi one more time, and entered the small room. There was no one inside, but a desk and a small cabinet.

"The holoprojector is in the cabinet over there. I am sure you can show yourselves out." The toydarian replied and hurriedly left the room.

Ventress went over to the cabinet and found a holoprojector, and turned it on. An image of Maul appeared, stabbing one of the locals on the planet. She looked over at Kenobi, who had his lightsaber in his hand.

"I sense this is a trap." Kenobi said.

"You think?" Ventress snapped, pocketing the holoprojector.

Ventress walked back over to the closed door, and closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reaching out into the force to see what was on the other side of the door. Suddenly, she sensed him. He had learned how to hide his force signature.

"Opress." She whispered.

Kenobi nodded in understanding, and opened the door. The chamber was empty at the moment. The people walking around before had vanished, but there were a few bays that were now open. Ventress looked up, as something dropped to the ground with a large thud. The familiar yellow and black markings came in the view, as the angry Nightbrother stood 10 feet away. Maul was nowhere in sight.

"Pity, and here I thought this was going to be a challenge.. Where's your little brother? Doesn't he want to come out and play too?" Ventress purred, igniting her lightsabers.

"My brother isn't here, Witch." Opress growled.

"So he let you off his leash? Good for you." Ventress sneered as she raised her lightsabers, and heard Kenobi's lightsaber ignite beside her.

Opress let out a growl, and jumped towards the pair, his yellow lightsaber ablaze. Ventress jumped, and in mid air their lightsabers collided. Kenobi forced grabbed a barrel that was in the room and tossed it towards Opress, forcing him to block it. Ventress's lightsabers came down towards Opress's side, but he was too quick and blocked the attack. It gave time for Kenobi to get behind him, forcing Opress to defend both the front and the back.

"I see being with your brother has done wonder for your skills with a lightsaber. You might be able to take down an unarmed child now." Ventress belittled.

Ventress could feel his anger being replaced desperation, as he tried to fight pair of them off. Opress couldn't keep up with the pair of them, he was outmatched and he knew it. He force threw them against the pillar that was standing in the middle of the room, and started to run off. Ventress and Kenobi got up started to chase him, but stopped as they heard several growls behind them.

"Wampas." Kenobi said, and no sooner as he said it, four Wampas entered the chamber and started running towards them. Ventress and Kenobi ran to the open door that Opress just exited, trying to chase him down as well as trying to get away from the Wampas. Ventress had only dealt with them once before, and barely escaped with her life. She didn't have time to focus on her fear as one of the wampas caught up with them just feet from the door and grabbed Ventress by the waist and threw her against the wall. Pain shot through her left shoulder, and she dropped her lightsabers mid air. Ignoring the pain, she got up and force threw a piece of metal at the oncoming wampas. It hit one of them, and it force grabbed the barrel and threw it at the one Kenobi was fighting. It barely missed Kenobi as it hit the wampa in the side, allowing Kenobi to slice its head off while it was distracted.

Kenobi grabbed one of Ventress's lightsabers and ran over to her. "That was a little close to my head, darling."

"You can thank me later. Come on." Ventress said, and force grabbed her other lightsaber while running out the door.

Opress was standing next to a ship. Ventress looked over at him, and he growled, obviously disappointed that the Wampa's had not destroyed them. Ventress started to run over towards the nightbrother, but was distracted when a large crash came from behind her. She turned to see the remaining three demolishing the outer door in order to get outside. Opress started to run towards them, using the momentary distraction as an advantage. Ventress barely had time to block his attack. Kenobi was too busy with one of the wampas to help her, and she discovered she couldn't raise her left shoulder higher than her chest. A small panic rose in her, Opress had more brute strength than her, but he was far less skilled with his lightsaber. Their lightsabers clashed a few times before Opress started to focus on her left side, and her as she realized he knew that she was injured. After blocking one more of Opress's attempt on the left side, she kicked him in the stomach and ran towards Kenobi and the wampas. Opress started to follow, but was rammed by a wampa.

Ventress reached Kenobi who was still trying to defend himself against two of the wampas. One was on the ground, after Kenobi had hit it with the metal door, and the other one was trying to grab him. Ventress ran and jumped on the wampa's back, grabbing its white fur with her right hand and climbed up to it's shoulders. She pierced the wampa's skull with her lightsaber, and somersaulted off him. She landed about a foot from where Kenobi just slayed the wampa on the ground. She watched as he brushed a sweaty lock of hair out of his face, and noticed that most of his face was covered in blood.

"Thanks." Kenobi said.

"How bad are you injured?" Ventress asked, fearing he had cracked his skull.

"It's not as bad as it looks. You?"

"There is something wrong with my left shoulder, I can't lift it." Ventress replied,

Kenobi nodded, and started running towards Opress, who was still trying to slay the wampa. Ventress followed, however by the time they got halfway, Opress had slayed the beast. He took one look at them coming, and started running off towards the ship. Ventress assumed he must have been injured while battling the wampa since he was limping. They tried to catch up with him, but he was too close to the ship. Ventress watched as the ship took off. She threw her lightsabers down in anger, and heard Kenobi sigh.

As the ship faded from view, Kenobi said, "Let's have another little chat with our Toydarian friend."

Ventress stood there for a moment, trying to control her anger. When it was unsuccessful she force grabbed her lightsabers and clipped the left one to her belt and strode off to the building. She was going to find the Toydarian and end him, after she tortured him within inches of his life for information.

"Killing him won't make you feel better, Ventress. Let go of your anger, you are not that person anymore." Kenobi chided, feeling her anger through the force. "How is your shoulder?"

"Don't lecture me, Kenobi." Ventress lashed out, and resisted the urge to impale him.

They searched for the Toydarian, but he was nowhere to be found. Ventress started searching the building for clues that could lead them to the location of the brothers. She released some of her anger on the desk that he was sitting at earlier.

"I am going to talk to some of the residents, maybe they will be more helpful. I will meet you at the ship in a hour." Kenobi said, watching her destroy the desk.

Ventress nodded, and continued ransacking the office they had found the Toydarian. She didn't find much, but decided to check the rest of the building for a lead, or some pain medication. The adrenalin in her system was starting to leave, and pain was replacing it. Ventress ignored it as she found the room where the wampas were held in cages. It was there she found the Toydarian's upper torso. The wampas must have had a snack when they were let out of the cages. She received some satisfaction knowing that he was killed by the Wampas.

She searched what remained of his body, and found his identification. His name was Jenteo, and he was originally from the planet Courkrus. She thought the planet sounded faimliar, but couldn't think of the reason why at the moment. She pocketed the ID, but found nothing else of interest in the building. She headed back to the ship. Hopefully she would be able to look up the planet, and place why it sounded so familiar.

By the time she got to the ship, the pain in her shoulder was almost unbearable from the weight of the coat. As soon as she got on the ship, she carefully removed the coat and checked out the damage. A bruise was starting to form on the front side of her shoulder, and continuing to the back. Her arm looked normal besides a small dent from where the bones normally met. She needed help to put her shoulder back in place, but Kenobi was still at the settlement. She found some pain medication, and took it before sitting down at the computer and closing her eyes.

"Ventress?" Kenobi said softly as he was entering the ship. She could feel him trying to gauge her anger level.

Ventress snapped her eyes open, and spun her chair around to face Kenobi, clutching her left arm. She noticed that the blood that was on his face earlier had been cleaned up.

"Did you find anything useful?" Ventress asked.

"The information that the Toydarian gave us about the brothers going to Praxis Nexus seems to be correct. They had some supplies shipped there about a week ago. Did you find anything?" Kenobi asked.

"I found the Toydarian, he was lunch for the wampas."

"That's unfortunate."

"He wasn't completely useless. I found his identification. His name was Jenteo, and he was from the planet Courkus. I was just to look up the planets information on the holonet. I think we should go there first. The information about Praxis Nexus is questionable."

"I have never heard of the planet. How is your shoulder?" Kenobi asked while walking over to inspect her shoulder.

"I think it's dislocated." Ventress replied, letting go of her arm and letting it dangle at her side.

"May I?" Kenobi asked, putting his hands near her shoulder, but not touching her.

Ventress nodded and closed her eyes, it was easier to deal with the pain if she cleared her mind of everything. She felt him gently grab her arm and start to try to raise it. He did it slowly, as to cause as little pain as possible for which she was grateful. He was able to get to her chest before she felt it catch, and she automatically flinched. Kenobi stopped moving the arm.

"Are you okay, did I hurt you?" Kenobi asked, his voice full of worry.

"You didn't hurt me, that stupid Wampa did. Why are you concerned anyway? It's not like you care." Ventress snapped. She immediately felt bad about it, she knew he was just trying to help. The pain was making her in a bad mood.

"Sorry," She added before closing her eyes again, trying to clear her mind.

"Don't worry about it, you're in a lot of pain, even with the pain meds. It's a normal reaction." Kenobi said, and continued to lower her arm. She felt him moving it out to the side and got a few inches before she let out a yelp by accident. Kenobi gently placed her arm back on her lap and caressed her forearm. Ventress opened her eyes again, surprised by the gesture and the goosebumps that followed.

"I think you're right, but I think I can get it back into socket easily. It will hurt, but only for a moment. You will have to wear a sling on it until we can get to a medbay." Kenobi said and patted her forearm one more time. She watched as he got up to find something that would work as a sling. He dug through the bag until he found a piece of white cloth.

"This will work until we get there. Are you ready?" Kenobi asked

Ventress took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tried to clear her mind once again preparing herself for the pain that would happen in a few moments. After another deep breath, she nodded.

Kenobi gently grabbed her elbow, he took a deep breath, and started to rotate her arm outward. Ventress tried to stay as still as possible, and started to grind her teeth to prevent her from yelping. When her arm was parallel to her body, she yelped as the shoulder popped back into place. Kenobi immediately moved her arm back to her stomach and reached for the cloth. Ventress sat up while he tied it around her good shoulder and gently placed her left arm in the sling. After he was done, he kneeled next to her, rubbing the back of her left shoulder gently.

"Thank you." Ventress muttered.

"Your welcome, Asajj."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I have made some edits, mostly to chapter 3 and 4, but there has been slight changes to most of the other chapters as well.**

**Also is anyone interested in being my Beta? **

**Please review, I haven't gotten a lot, but I know a lot of people are reading! It will make me more motivated, and maybe I would post it sooner. But I really would like some feedback. You can even private message me!**

* * *

After a few moments, the pain in Ventress's shoulder was starting to fade. Kenobi had stopped rubbing the back of her shoulder, and was running the scanner over her shoulder.

"It seems, my dear, that you managed to dislocate your first rib as well. On the bright side, I think your ligaments are intact." Kenobi joked.

Ventress just nodded, the fight and the resulting injury to her shoulder had made her tired, but she still needed to do research on the planet Courkrus and she wasn't about to let Kenobi go to Praxis Nexus without a fight. She decided to attempt to meditate for a few moments to help regain some of her energy,

"We should take you to a medical clinic before continuing." Kenobi said, sitting down in the chair next to her.

"I am fine." Ventress said through gritted teeth, irritated and opening her eyes. She had given up on trying to meditate, when Kenobi insisted on discussing the state of her health, and went over to the computer to search for Courkrus. She was not some fail girl that needed help, and she was slightly annoyed that Kenobi thought of her like that. Dooku had trained her to complete the job, regardless of her bodily injuries. There were many times when she was more severely injured due to Dooku's training methods, and she was still able to take down most Jedi that crossed her path.

"Can you raise your arm?" Kenobi pointed out.

Ventress rolled her eyes, and found the planet. It was near the Khuiumin system, about seven systems away. Ventress looked up Praxis Nexus, and discovered that it was only 3 systems away, in the opposite direction. The proximity of Praxis Nexus would work against her. Courkrus is controlled by the Hutts, while Praxis Nexus was a Republic planet.

"Ventress, you can't fight with just one arm. You took me to the get help, let me return the favor. It will only take a few hours and then we can be on our way." Kenobi pleaded.

"You would be surprised to learn what I could do with just one arm, my dear Kenobi." Ventress said, while turning her chair around to face Kenobi slightly smiling.

Kenobi raised his eyebrows, "I can only imagine, maybe some time you can enlighten me."

"Shall I enlighten you now?" Ventress teased.

"I am afraid, my pet, that that would require my undivided attention, and right now if we stay on this planet much longer our power couplings will freeze, and that would open a whole new set of problems. Shall we look for a medical facility somewhere in a nearby system, and then we can continue to Praxis Nexus?" Kenobi continued.

"It will be a trap. Certainly, even someone with your intelligence can see that." Ventress replied, which to her satisfaction earned her an annoyed look. "We should start on Courkus. That is where our little wampa lunch friend was from, and it would make more sense for them to be on or have been on that planet. The computer says is a known pirate hangout, and the last we heard, Maul is recruiting. If they are not on the planet, it is much more likely we would be able to find out where the savage beasts are. Pirates are loyal to the highest bidder."

"True, until you have your back turned. It may surprise you, but the Jedi have worked with and actively sought some pirates, mainly one named Hondo. From my experience, they are not to be trusted."

"Nor should Jedi, and yet here we are." Ventress mused.

Kenobi laughed, "Well for that matter, nor should former Sith assassins turned bounty hunters."

"I realize we would be walking in to a probable trap by going to Praxis Nexus. However it's been my experience if one springs the trap, normally what you're looking for isn't too far off. Opress was injured, he will be going back to his brother, which will make springing the trap that much easier. He may or may not be there. Information can be gained from the local people, who may be forced into working for the Maul," Kenobi said, then added "Once you get medical care."

"However, we may learn about what kind of trap we are springing if we go to Courkus." Ventress said. She was beginning to get a headache, mostly from Kenobi being annoyingly insistent on getting care for her shoulder. She was fine, but she was beginning to think the only way he would go for her plan was agreeing to go to a med clinic. Agreeing was one thing, actually going was another.

"Yes, but." Kenobi started.

"I will go to the med clinic if we go to Courkus, and I won't even put up a fight." Ventress interrupted, knowing that Kenobi would give in, as soon as she said it.

She watched as Kenobi put his hand on his beard, considering the matter. She smiled, knowing she won. However she put her hand on top of her shoulder, and made a slight grimace for good measure. It really wasn't hurting that bad anymore, especially now that the pain killers started working. She knew she was playing dirty, using Kenobi's selflessness against him, and it amused her to no end.

"Shall I program the Navicompuer?" Ventress asked, trying to mask the amusement in her voice. When he didn't reply right away, she took that as a sign, and proceeded to takeoff.

Kenobi sighed and rolled his eyes, "We'll do it your way."

Ventress smiled, and started to program the coordinates to Courkus, when Kenobi walked over and sat down in the co-pilot's chair. He started to look through the various planets on nearby systems. Ventress didn't pay too much attention, since she assumed he was looking for planets with a medical clinic. She had no plans on actually stopping until they reached Courkus. She locked in the coordinates, so Kenobi wouldn't be able to change them, and waited until they were successfully in hyperspace before yawing.

"I am going to meditate in the back for a few hours." Ventress lied. She was actually going to take a nap, but for some reason, she still felt uncomfortable sleeping around Kenobi especially when he was awake. She had been waiting until he fell asleep to actually sleep herself, even though she knew she wasn't danger. It was a habit she had picked up being a Sith, since most of the people she worked with wouldn't hesitate to kill you in your sleep if it gained them some advantage. The painkillers combined with her injury had made her exhausted, and she was slowly starting to lose the fight.

Kenobi, who was still engrossed in the computer, nodded. She went back to the cabin and locked the door behind her and laid down on the closest bunk. She started to go over the battle in her head, what she could have done differently, what she would do differently next time. She wouldn't underestimate Opress again, especially now that his brother has taken over his training. He was much more skilled with his blade this time around. She was starting to wonder where the wampa's came from when her shoulder twinged. Ventress sighed, and rubbed her shoulder for a second and then brought her arm down to rest on top of the sling. It was then she remembered what had transpired when Kenobi was relocating her shoulder.

He was gentle with her, much more gentle than she anticipated. Then there was him lightly touching the back of her shoulder and the goosebumps she felt as he grazed her forearm. Why did he do that? She was pretty sure that he didn't do stuff like that for Skywalker when he was injured. It was almost intimate. And why, why did her body react in the way it did? It confused her. Yes, she knew that for a Jedi, Kenobi wasn't bad looking, much better looking than most of the Jedi she had fought against. She had sometimes admired the way his body moved when they were fighting, with his controlled, precise movements. Ventress started to drift off asleep thinking of logical reasons why her body reacted the way it did.

"Be careful, my Child." Mother ghostly voice warned.

"Mother?" Ventress asked, and looked around, Dathomir started to form around her and a ghostly air surrounded the Nightsisters caves.

"Your thoughts betray you. They betray your sisters, and me." Mother replied, her ghostly figure appearing out of thin air, and materializing.

"I haven't betrayed you, Mother." Ventress said.

"You were supposed to allow Kenobi get close to you, however you are growing attached to Kenobi as well. It will make it much more difficult for you to do what needs to be done to save your sisters, to bring peace."

"Attached to Kenobi? You are mistaken, Mother."

"Ventress, my child, far too long have you let others control your destiny. You claim you want freedom, yet here you are again, allowing someone to control you. What will happen to you if he succeeds in killing Maul? Do you think he will just let you live out the rest of your life peacefully? He offers you asylum for your crimes, but do you believe the Republic will actually grant his request?"

Ventress looked down at the ground, she knew that immunity was a long shot, not that it mattered that much. It's not like she has really needed it so far. It would just make traveling easier.

"Kenobi will betray you, just as everyone else has. In the end he will be no different than Dooku. In the end, he will lure you in, taking you before the Republic's senate to ask that you be cleared of all charges. There, the Republic will sentence you to death, citing that you are too dangerous to be kept alive, and Kenobi will be unable to stop it. You will die, and your sisters will die with you."

"My sister's are already dead." Ventress replied painfully.

"Yet, you have the power to save them."

"How? How can I save them if they are already dead. You tell me if I offer Kenobi, that I will save my sisters, save my home, and have ultimate power, but how?"

"You will have the power to resurrect them."

"I will not resurrect my sisters to become the monsters that fought against Grievous."

"They have not been dead long enough yet, however time is running out. Every moment that you waste, the closer your sisters are to becoming those monsters." Mother said.

"Why can't you resurrect them?"

"It takes two, I can not do it alone."

Ventress thought for a long moment. Could she actually offer Kenobi? She wasn't sure of it as she once was, but why? What had changed between them?

"Is there not another way? What if I returned to Dathomir now?"

"Maul must destroy Kenobi first. It is the only way."

"Why?"

"Time is running out, my Child. Soon your sisters will be lost forever, and the home that you once had will be gone forever. What do you think Karis would do?" Mother said, using her attachment to Karis as ammunition.

Ventress sighed guiltily, "She would do what is necessary to protect her sisters."

"Now the question is, will you do what is necessary to protect your sisters, your family?" Mother asked, and started to fade away. An image of a bomb going off near the caves formed in the fog, and she watched in horror as her sisters fell around her.

Ventress woke with a start, she was sweating. She looked around, reaching to get her lightsabers off her belt when Kenobi hurriedly came into the room.

"Ventress? What happened? How is your shoulder? Are you in pain?" Kenobi said worriedly.

She looked around, and remembered where she was. He must have sensed her distress through the force. She was angry that she wasn't able to control it. Her dream was so real, the pain from seeing her sisters falling around her was so fresh in her memory. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek, she hurriedly wiped it. The last thing she needed was for Kenobi to see her cry.

"Ventress? Asajj?" Kenobi asked again, sitting down at the edge of the bunk she was laying on.

"It's nothing. I am fine." Ventress said roughly. She made to get up, but Kenobi grabbed her good arm.

"What happened?"

"It was just a dream." Ventress replied, not looking at Kenobi. "Please let go of me."

She felt him let go of her arm, and she started to walk back towards the cockpit, when she heard Kenobi say, "It's okay to mourn your sisters."

Ventress turned around, "How-"

"I sense your attachment to them, your sadness."

"What would a Jedi know about attachment?" Ventress spat angrily . She was angry that she had gotten close enough to Kenobi that he could sense her emotional state, and angry at him for using that against her, and angry at her self for feeling this way.

"You would be surprised." Kenobi said softly, and looked down at his feet.

"I thought attachment was forbidden?" Ventress asked. Slowly Ventress's anger turned more to a slight curiosity. Kenobi was supposed to be the epitome the Jedi, and yet here he was talking about a taboo Jedi subject. Curiosity got he better of her and, she sat back down on the bed next to him.

"It is, but that doesn't stop it from happening. We all have attachments, some act on them in secret while some pretend they don't exist."

"So the great Obi Wan Kenobi feels after all." Ventress said sarcastically.

Kenobi didn't say anything for a few moments, Ventress was just about to check how far it was to Corukus when he started talking again.

"I have and continue to have attachments, and some days it's harder than others." Kenobi quietly replied, looking over at Ventress. Ventress looked over when he didn't continue and made eye contact and Kenobi quickly looked at something on the wall. She saw something in the look he gave her that almost reminded her of an affectionate longing.

"Who?" "Is?" Ventress stammered, confused by the look he gave her, surely he wasn't talking about her. She continued to look at him, trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about, trying to figure out what to say next.

After a few awkward moments, Kenobi said "So, what kinds of weapons does this ship boast?"

Ventress gave him a funny look, starting to wonder about his sanity, "Um, some cannons on the underside, and a torpedo launcher. Why?"

"Oh, well if we got into a spot of trouble..." Kenobi eluded.

The awkward silence returned. Kenobi looked like he was going to say something a few times, but thought better of it and just stared at the wall. Ventress started to stare at the wall as well, it was better than watching Kenobi, who had started to make her feel nervous. She started to wonder if the head injuries maul gave him had made him insane. Then she started wondering why he looked at her like that and why a man who had something to say about everything was having problems forming a sentence. Surely he wasn't attached to her, a woman not only wanted to kill him past, and may be directly involved in his demise in the near future. She certainly wasn't attached to him in anyway, respected him yes, attached to him was a different matter entirely.

"Look Ventress, I would upset if anything happened to you. That's it." Kenobi offered, meeting her eyes as she looked over at him again.

"So you have an attachment to me?" Ventress questioned, wondering about Kenobi's sanity. She could not believe that she was having this conversation, with this man. No one had ever looked at her the way he did now, his eyes were full of the look he had given her a few moments ago. Most men when she was working with Dooku looked at her with terrified or angry eyes. Although after she had left Dooku, most of the looks she got from men was full of lustful intentions, which if they were bold enough to act, their lustful intentions normally ended in some form of bodily harm.

Kenobi didn't answer, and looked down again. That was all the confirmation that she needed.

"Why?"Ventress asked, still confused state. Why out of all people in the galaxy, was he attached to her?

After a few long moments, Kenobi replied, "I don't know."

Ventress was slient, and minuets passed, and neither one of them talked. She was trying to wrap her brain around the conversation they were having, it was surreal. Here are two former combatants talking about a taboo Jedi subject, in which she was directly and unwittingly involved in. Finally she broke the licence, "Were there other people you had an attachment to?"

"Ventress, I really don't want to talk about this anymore." Kenobi half pleaded, still not meeting her eyes.

"You're the one who brought it up." Ventress retorted, annoyd. She got up hastily and walked out to the cockpit, wanting to be anywhere but next to Kenobi. She needed to sort out what just happened, however as soon as she reached the pliot's chair she heard Kenobi's footsteps behind her. She sat down in the chair and watched the viewer, and tried to start processing the conversation they just had. Kenobi took the seat next to her and they sat quietly for a long while, watching the light dance across the screen. Part of her thought that he was just trying to play with her emotions, so he could gain something which could be used against her in the future, which has happened so many times with Dooku that she was able to detach herself from her emotional state until she was alone. There was also part of her wanted to believe him, but she didn't know why, but what did it matter since she wasn't attachment to him. Well, maybe she was slightly attached to him if she was honest to herself. Why else would she have risked her life by saving him when they were fighting Maul, or taken him to the medbay, or help him on this mission? She also started to wonder if the hesitation to go through with Mother's plan was because of the slight attachment she apparently had, because if she was forced to do this mission Skywalker and his little obnoxious pet she wouldn't hesitate in the slightest, and would probably would kill him before they had even left Coruscant. Ventress was just imagining impaling Skywalker with her own lightsabers when Kenobi once again interrupted her thoughts.

"Anakin and Qui Gon for the obvious reasons. Ashoka, since in many ways she is my padawan just as much as she is Anakin's. Then there were two others, Siri and Duchess Satine." Kenobi sighed.

"Who are they?" Ventress questioned, hoping to put the pieces of the put together. This would be perfect ammunition against him if she needed it, but as soon as the thought that she felt guilty that she would use the information against him, when he was being honest with her, but would that stop her? She didn't know.

"Siri and I were padawans together. We were young and stupid, and we fell in love, well what one would call love when you are 15 years old. We only acted on it once, and then we drifted apart,"

Kenobi paused before continuing, "Duchess Satine is a different story, I was older and nearing the Jedi Trials when Qui Gon and I were assigned to Mandalore for a year during their civil war. It was my duty to protect her. She was brash, annoying, and headstrong in her ideals. Just the two of us spent many nights hiding in various locations arguing and having discussions on politics, philosophy and various other topics. After about six months, I cared deeply for her and she reciprocated. When the war ended, and it was time to go back, I contemplated leaving the Order to stay with her. Ultimately, I continued with my training while she became leader of Mandalore, but it was one hardest decisions I had to make."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ventress finally asked.

"You asked." Kenobi replied.

There was another long pause, as Ventress pondered where she fit in on this little list of his. Surely he didn't desire her as he did the other females he has had contact. She never was his student, or part of the order. They had met on the battlefield, she had tried to kill him the first time they met. Maybe it was because all the times they have unsuccessfully tried to kill each other. Normally when she fought Jedi, she tried to taunt them, but most Jedi were too focused on the battle, or too serious. Kenobi was different, he was willing to play the little game, which made it significantly more exciting, and much more rewarding especially when she was able to finally wipe that smirk off his face. In many ways Kenobi would have been her greatest victory.

Then she started to remember what happened on the platform when they first set out on this little mission. He had taken the time to learn her past. Maybe his attachment wasn't because he respected her, maybe it was because he pitied her. She for one, didn't need anyone's pity. Yes, her life was full of deceit, lies, and betrayal, but that had made her in to the person she was today. She was strong, independent, proud, and deadly. Who did he think he was to pity her?

"Where do I fit in on this list, the person I pity? I don't need your pity Kenobi." Ventress said, looking back at him once again, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Asajj," Kenobi paused and looked at the viewfinder for a moment. Ventress watched as he turned his head back towards her and stood up and faced her. The anger in Ventress's eyes faded back to bewilderment, he never uses her first name, and its been three times in one day now.

"I …" Kenobi started.

Beep Beep.

The ship was dropping out of hyperspace, Ventress looked at the computer. It was going to take a full day to reach Courkus, and she knew that she hadn't slept that long. Much to her annoyance, Kenobi had reprogrammed the computer to come out at Capza.

"Kenobi." Ventress warned.

"It was part of the deal. Consider us even now, if it makes you feel better." Kenobi joked, and he seemed grateful for the change in subject.

"Hopefully, the next time the Wampa will just kill you, and I can continue in peace." Ventress retorted, which made Kenobi laugh.

Beep Beep.

"This is Commander Tiric Organ, please identify yourselves."

"My name is Harko Zadean, my wife Leesea is in need of medical attention. She has dislocated her shoulder. I request to land at your medical facility for treatment, and then we will be on our way."

"Please send your credentials." The commander replied.

After a few moments, the commander said, "Permission Granted. You may land on pad 28, it is the closest we have to our medical facility. You may stay as long as you need."

"Thank you, Commander."

It only took a few hours for the pain in Ventress's shoulder to completely disappear. They were able to fix her ribs and fix the overly stretched ligaments. Kenobi had taken the time to restock the ship, and make a few repairs to the ship. It was slightly damaged on Yellowblade's Landing from the extreme cold. Ventress found him on the landing platform, directing a supply cart onto the ship.

"So, how long do you anticipate this little adventure of ours lasting?" Ventress asked.

Kenobi chuckled, as the delivery guy exited the ship. "How are you feeling?"

"Good enough to defeat you." Ventress teased.

"Is that a challenge, darling?" Kenobi asked, clearly amused.

"I highly doubt would be a challenge." Ventress laughed.

"Ah, your over confidence will be your downfall, my sweet."

"You wish." Ventress called back, as she entered the ship. She wanted to see how much longer it would take them to reach Courkus. She found that they were a bit further than she originally thought, about halfway. It would take about 8 hours to reach the planet, and hopefully learn where the brothers were actually hiding.


End file.
